Improvement in saw-mills



NAPETERS. PHOTWLITHOGRAPNER. WASHINGTON. A1C- i* duin CHARLES SOMMER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

' Leners Patent No. 89,178, daad April 20,1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN SAW-MILLS.

+-Orem The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of tho same.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES SOMMER, of Chicago, in the county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have in-A vented certain new and useful Improvements in Sawing-Machinery; and I do hereby declare that the following -is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a paxt of this specification, in which- Fignre 1, plate 1, is an elevation of one side of the improved sawing-machine, showing, by the aid of red lines, a log in position for being sawed.

Figure 2, plate 1, is a vertical section, taken centrally and longitudinally through the log-holding devices.

Figures 3 and 4, plate 2, are vertical cross-sections, intgnded to show the manner inV sawing a log into sla s.

Figure 5, plate 2, is -an elevation of one end'of the longitudinallyandlaterally-movablelog-supportingcarriages.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures. Y

This invention relates to certain novel improvements on sawing-machinery, which is adapted for sawing up round logs into stuff suitable for being shaped into barrel-staves.

'lhe object of my invention is to utilize stock in the operation of sawing out barrel-stuff from round logs, and to produce the stuff with parallel sides, so that, without further dressing, it is ready for wellknown shaping-machinery, to be wrought into staves.

To effect the above object, I make both of the centring and holding-devices of that class of machines which most nearly resembles mine in construction, adjustable laterally, as well as longitudinally and vertically, instead of as heretofore, having said centringdevices either both immovable laterally, or one only of them adjustable laterally.

The adjustments of my machine I also make with respect to a single saw, which is arranged above the centriug-devices, and so as to cut in a direction with the length of the grain of the wood, and into the log to a depth less than one-half of its diameter, such saw, by reason of the adjustments of the log, sawing two sets of kerfs, those of one set being radial, and the other tangential to circles described from the centre of the log, as will be hereinafter described.

My method of sawing locs admit-s of the logs being elevated by the centring-r evices, there being no obstruction from a saw placed below these devices; thus great convenience in handling heavy logs is secured.

V'Io enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings- A represents a foundation, or bed, consisting of two horizontal parallel ways, united, in a suitable manner, at their ends, so as to constitute ways for supporting and guiding a carriage, or slide, B.

The carriage, or slide B, is grooved into the upper edges of' the ways of foundation A, so that it can be freely moved in a direction with the length thereof, but is prevented from lateral displacement.

This carriage, or slide B, is composed of two parallel ways, suitably united at their ends, and grooved along their upper edges, for receiving, and holding in place laterally, -two slides, C C, which carry upon them laterally-adj listable head-blocks, E E, the bases of which are grooved laterally, to receive the tenons, or guides b b, upon the upper sides of' said slides. o

rlhe slides C are constructed with tenons on their bottom-surfaces, whichenter the grooves formed in the upper edges of the carriage B, and thus prevent these slides from lateral displacement, but allow them to be adj usted at dillerent distances apart upon the carliage B, according to the length of the log, or logs to be sawed.

To the bottom side of each slide, a bracket, g, is'

rigidly secured, through which, a screw-bolt, h, is passed vertically, that carries upon its lower end, beneath the bracket g, a transverse bar, n, the ends of which lie beneath ledges, T T, which are/upon the iuner vertical sides of the guide-ways of carriage B.

The bolt h passes up through the slide C, and through an blong slot, made through the base D, of the headblock E, and receives upon its upper end a nut, t, by the tigh teniug of which thc head block can be confined rigidly down upon its slide, and this slide confined rigidly in place upon its carriage.

By loosening the said nut i, on each one of the bolts h, the slides C C and the head-blocks will be free, and can be adjusted as may be required.

The slides C C, with their head-blocks, are adjusted nearer to or further from one another, accordingto the length of theflog to be sawed, and the head-blocks may be adjusted laterally, by means of levers, L L, which are pivoted to the slides 0 C, and connected, by rods a a, to the base-plates of the head-blocks.

Vertical slots, e e, are made through the head-v blocks E E, for receiving vertically-adjustable blocks, which carry the centring-dogs G G', between which the logs are centred and confined while being sawed.

The blocks F F have screw-threads upon them, for receiving nuts, c c, by means of which, and the shoulders vd d, these blocks can be rigidly clamped to their respective head-blocks', at vproper height for presenting the logs to the saw H.

The blocks F F are raised or depressed by means of vertical screw-rods P P,vwhich pass loosely through the headfblocks'the slides, and the brackets below the slides, and' receive upon them, between. the said brackets andA slides, hand-wheel nuts J J.

By turning these hand-wheel nuts J J, the attendant can raise or depress the blocks I F', when the nuts c c are loosened.

The centring-dog holder, or block F', is made tubular, as shown in iig. 2, and receives a longitudinallyadjustable dog, G', which can be thus adjusted by means of a screw, s, and hand-crank, K.

The screw sis tapped centrally into the rear end of the dog G', and so applied to the dog-holder, or block F', `that the two dogs can be made to forcibly gripe and hold a log hy its ends after the head-blocks and their slides have been rigidly fixed.

By a few backward turns of the said screw s,v a log can be loosened, so that it can be turned about its axis.

Y The saw H is ofv the circular kind, and is applied upon a shaft I, which has its bearings in the upper forked ends ofa standard, N.

The shaft has a belt-wheel, I', upon it, over which a belt passes, that receives motion from any convenient prime mover.

I have now described a machine which is adapted for sawing stuff having parallel sides from round logs, but I do not conne myself to the precise construction of the several parts, as herein described and shown, as these parts may be modified, and their v mechanical equivalents adopted in their stead.

For instance, the head-blocks may be moved laterally by means of a leverI having a toothed segment on one end, adapted to engage with rack-teeth formed on or applied to said head-blocks.

The head-blocks may have their base-plates applied to the slides C C, by dovetail tenons and grooves, and the dog-carrying blocks F F' may be raised and depressed by means of racks and pinions.

Again, instead of having the centling-devices adjustable laterally, the necessary lateral adjustment might be made in the saw-shaft and saw, by providing the shaft with movable collars, in such a manner that by loosening these collars, and setting them back, the shaft, with saw, might be slipped in its bearings far enough to have the saw cut the kerfs, which are tangential to .circles struck from the centre of the log being sawed.

v -The collars, of course, are again set up and fastened, after the desired adjustment is effected.

4The operation of sawing with the above-described machine is as follows:

The slides and their head-blocks are adjusted and set for receiving logs'of a given length, and so that theaxes of the dogs G G', will coincide with each other, and stand in the vertical plane of the saw H.

A log, to be sawed, is rolled upon the bed A, upon cross-pieces, temporarily laid thereon, or upon proj ectious of the slides G C, made for the purpose.

The nuts t i, on screw-rods h h, are then loosened, and the dogs brought down, by turning hand-wheel nuts J J, so as to be in line with the axis of the gThe crank-handle K is then turned, so as to firmly clamp and confine the log in place between .the dogs, and the log raised sufiiciently high, by turning wheels J J, to allow the saw H to make the proper depth of cut.

In iig. 2, the red lines indicate the log upon the bed A, ready to be griped by the dogs Gr G', and in iig. I, the red lines indicate thel log raised, and in the act of being sawed from end to end.

'Ihe centring-dogs are sharpened, to enter the log proper distances, by making concavities in them, as shown-in the sectional view, g. 2.

The first cut made through the log by the saw is in a plane, radiating from the centre, or axis of the log, as shown by red lines in fig. 3.

Before the next cut is made, the log is moved bod ily in a lateral direction, or in a direction at right angles to its length, one inch, more or less. The next cut will thus be made in a plane parallel to the first cut, but tangential to circles described from the centre of the log.

The log is then moved backward bodily, and in a lateral direction, two inches, more or less, and another cnt is made, in a plane parallel to the rst two kerfs. v

This leaves two slabs, with parallel sides, adhering, by their edges, to the core, or heart of the log.

I then turn the log one-quarter of a revolution about its axis, and perform the same operation of sawing, and so on, until the log has been sawed, say, twelve times.

This mode of sawing will produce, for the rst cuts, eight slabs, of equal width and thickness, and leave four intermediate segments, which are sawed in the same manner as above described, and produce slabs of less width, leaving narrow angular pieces, as indicated in red lines, figs. 3 and 4.

The narrowest slabs, or slabs of the second cutting, will be separated from the log in the operation of sawing, but the widest slabs will adhere to the core of the log, and may be readily detached therefrom, by sawing or splitting.

I am aware that 1t is notv new to saw a log in a direction with the length of the grain 0f the wood, and in planes radiating from the axis of the log. This .mode of sawing produces planks which are in crosssection triangular, and, if the logs are not very large in diameter, each plank, when properly dressed to an even thickness from one edge to the other, will necessarily be much narrower than half the diameter of the log from which it was sawed.

I also am aware that, with the ordinary saw-mill, it is a very common practice to saw logs into planks having parallel sides, that is, sawing in planes which Yare tangential to circles described concentric tothe axis of the logs. Under this mode the saw passes from side to side of the logs, and, therefore, no two planks sawed from the same round log are of the same width. If the logs were squared, or slabbed previously, this would not be the case, it is true, but by slabbing, or squaring, great waste occurs, and, beside this, this mode of sawing does not produce, I believe, as good stave-stunc as my mode does.

By my improved machine, and method of sawing round logs with the grain, I am enabled to produce stuff which is ready for the well-known stave-shaping machinery, without dressing.

Having described my invention,

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

1 The mode herein described of sawing stuff with parallel sides, from round logs.

2. The arrangement of the two laterally and Vertically-adjustable centres, with the circular saw, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the slotted portions E e, of headblocks, centres G G', slides F F', and clampingnuts c c, the said parts being constructed and arranged and operated substantially as described.

4. The combination of the centre G', screw s, and clamping-devices F d c, with the slotted head-block D E, substantially as described.

Witnesses: CHARLES SOMMER.

MATH. GOTTFRIED, PHILIP WIDMER. 

